The Batman fandom might be heading into an strange crossroads. The report has surfaced again that DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has reportedly expressed interest in bringing Robert Pattinson’s Batman into the larger DC Universe (DCU).
But, there’s a little snag as director Matt Reeves isn’t on board with the idea. While fans are already gearing up for two distinct cinematic takes on the Dark Knight, Gunn’s possible desire to unite Pattinson’s Batman with his DCU universe will hurt Reeves grounded, gritty, and noir-inspired Batverse.
This most recent report came from the latest episode of The Hot Mic podcast, where co-host Jeff Sneider shared insights into the situation.
Sneider revealed that Gunn “does want Pattinson in the DCU,” but Reeves is “resistant” to the idea. Reeves’ vision for The Batman trilogy and the world he’s meticulously crafting around it seems to be at odds with the broader, interconnected DCU Gunn is building.
Sneider also clarified that the reported production delays on The Batman Part II are unrelated to this debate, chalking them up to a “personal thing” he opted not to elaborate on.
Gunn has openly discussed the possibility of merging these two Batman worlds before, saying: “I’ve contemplated it, yeah. I contemplate everything and talk about everything.
“I’m committed to both telling stories in the DCU and telling Elseworlds stories. We want to be able to tell a story where Superman is very different or tell a Red Sun story… We want to be able to play with these characters in different ways.”
He also highlighted one of DC’s unique strengths compared to Marvel, saying: “One of the things I love about DC over Marvel comic books is those [Elseworlds] stories are much more plentiful… I think that’s part of the fun of DC.”
When a previous rumor hit about Robert Pattinson’s Batman joining the DCU, Gunn responded saying, “This is entirely untrue.”
While Gunn is denying this, the reports are still coming in from insiders, like Sneider, who seem very confident in what they are reporting.
If there is any truth to this, I think it makes much more sense just to keep Gunn’s DCU separate from Reeve’s Batman universe. I’m not sure why Gunn would even consider merging these two very different worlds.
What are you thoughts?